BootsnAll Travel Community

I'm super confused. I seem to be getting mixed information from different country's websites. I'm hoping you all can help. I will be visiting many European countries that are Schengen Countries. The total length of my stay will be 6 - 8 months (for all of Europe, Schengen and Non). I know that if my stay exceeds 90 days for all Schengen Countries combined, I need a Schengen Visa. However, the only information that I am receiving as to the total length that I can stay WITH a visa is conflicting. Norway's and Austria's websites seem to indicate that even with a Schengen Visa my total stay cannot exceed 90 days. Spain's website acts like as long as you're from the US you don't need a visa at all. Greece's website is just confusing (Greek to me?).
Please help! 90 days total (with a Visa) can't be right. With a US Passport we already get 90 days. What about all of those people who spend a year backpacking through Europe?
Thanks,
B

EU bureaucracy... what a bitch!

On a related note, US bureacracy is 10x worse.

Heh - I'm finding more info on this and thinking of creative routing to make this work.
I'm probably going to get a Long Term Visa or Residence Permit for France. Have any of you obtained this? Was it hard to get?

Is there anyone here with an American passport that had to get a visa to go to a Schengen country? They might stamp your passport, but that is all.

Of all the time that I have gone to Europe, over a dozen, I only found two entry stamps in my passport for those years.

Even with the countries that belong to the Shengen group, they still have individual policies that they follow. Look up the different country's embassy website and you can get plenty of info.

If you are travelling for a long time and don't get stamped from one country to the next, no one knows if you have returned to America or not. I have never had Western European countries look for other stamps in my passport either.

Relax and go.

From what I'm reading, a US Passport acts exactly like a Schengen Visa. So someone from say, China, could get a Schengen Visa and it would act exactly like an American Passport.

But my concern is the length of time requirement. In all those times that you went to Europe, were you there for longer than 90 days? Is it a completely un-enforced rule? I mean, if they never check your passport at boarders, and I fly out of a non-Shengen country (like England), how could they possibly know?

In the last 12 years I have made 14 trips. The longest trip was three years. About half of my trips I was there for more than 90 days. On one trip I had a one year work visa for Germany, that was the only time I had anything other than tourist statis.

You are more likely to have your passport stamped if you fly from one country to the next. If you take a train between Schengen countries, I have only seen random checks. If you drive, the chances are small.

Of all the times my passport was checked, they just glanced through it. They weren't looking for dates on any other stamps. Of course, if you look flat broke and homeless, they will check things more closely.

Edit: I just check the websites for several Schengen countries. Each of them state that an American citizen can stay in the country for up to 90 days without a visa. It says nothing about a Schengen visa for Americans.

The Shengen visa is for people that need a visa to visit any one of those countries and makes it possible for them to visit all of those countries without getting a visa for each one.It has no effect on people that do not need a visa for any of the countries.

For example: If a person from China wants to visit France, they need a visa (I think) and would apply for a Shengen visa. This will limit thier trip to a total of 90 days in any or all of the Shengen countries every six months.

An American does not need any visa for any Schengen country. Therefor the individual country's laws apply. They are the same in most - if not all - of the Schengen countries. You can stay in that country for up to 90 days and must go to another country - any country.

I love that answer - and I really really want that to be true. Really. However, (and they could be wrong) the US State Dept.'s page seems to indicate otherwise http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1229.html#c, and I read a huge document created by the European Union that also seemed to indicate otherwise (they said that a person from the US or any country could apply for a Longterm Visa in their primary destination).

But - based on your past experience, I'm leaning towards taking a gamble and just going.

Don't forget that the US State Department doesn't set the visa reqirements for people going to europe.

Look up information on these country's websites. Do searches for "German embassy in the USA," or any of the other Shengen countries you are interested in visiting. Look to see what it says about Americans needing a visa. That includes a Schengen visa. We don't need any visa. You will find nothing stating that an American needs a visa for a visit in any one of these countries for up to 90 days.

If you want to stay in any one Schengen country for more than 90 days, then you need apply for a visa. If you get this visa, it is a type of Schengen visa in that it is valid for all Schengen countries. However, you can stay in Germany for 90 days and then go to Austria for 90 days and on and on without ever needing a visa or breaking any laws.

Thanks so much for the info - that really puts my mind at ease. I was in panic mode a few days ago. I will look at the sites for all of the countries we are visiting.

It's getting so close - I can't think about anything else. 173 days until my husband graduates, 8 months until we leave for our RTW trip - I've never been this excited/tense/focused. It's crazy.

If you think that you are excited now, wait until you first day there!

Travelling through Europe won't be a problem. Especially if you spend less than 90 days in each country. They want your tourist dollars. They also understand that a lot of people travel as you are going to travel. The first concern they have is if you are doing anything illegal.

Several times I had the police in France stop at the farm fields I was working in and check my papers. I never had any papers and the police didn't care. They asked if I was doing this for the summer and left.

does it really matter if your visa expires while you´re in the schengen zone? i will be here until june without a visa from february on...and i plan to travel around the shengen states...will i have any problems? should i leave the schengen zone for 24 hours on the day my visa expires, say...england, and just come back as a tourist? anyone had to do something like that?!

Just bumping because I have these same concerns. A rough itinerary at this point would be:
Italy - 85 days
Switzerland - 85 days
France - 85 days
Netherlands - 85 days

Based on the feedback here, we don't have to apply for a Schengen visa?

If USA gets the same treatment as Oz which I suspect you would, if not better, then none of us really need a Schengen Visa if you're staying in any of the schengen countries for less than 90 days and that ought to be not too hard to arrange.
To Marissa, if you went on a student or other form of visa still no probs as the no need for a visa if staying in countries for less than 90 days will still apply.
Sounds like from that toothache that it is all policed pretty liberally anyway and www.delaus.ceceu.int/eu_guide/faqschengenvisas.htm will bring up info or www.eurovisa.info

The law isnt 90 days per country, is 90 days within the entire Schengen zone.

"A U.S. citizen may remain in any Schengen country (or travel between various Schengen countries) as a tourist for up to 90 days in a six month period, without a visa. Anyone staying in the Schengen zone beyond the 90-day period may be subject to a fine at the time of departure and will be barred from entry into any other Schengen country for 90 days."

From: http://www.usembassy.gr/consular/ac_residency.htm

American citizens don't have to apply for a Schengen visa, your passport sort of works as this visa, permitting you to stay for no more than 90 days within a 180 day period. This also means, you cant "leave for 24 hours" and re-enter and have a new three months.

Erica, well that sort of throws a spanner in the works taking Bri back to what she had found herself on the US State department site but is it possible that some beurocrat there has misinterpreted the reading of the up to 90 day stay without a visa being required?
If not, thank god for Switzerland being stuck there in the middle.
That first link of mine is not working but if you google it, wording sort of implies that 90 days in any schengen country has no limitations.
Back to searching!

My understanding is 90 days in Schengen and 90 days out. This treats Schengen as a visa zone and means that you can't spend 90 days in one schengen country and the one in another. Rather you have 90 in all the countries added up. However in the east it is all a matter of stamps by tired guards on the train who don't care what is going on so the likely hood of being picked up on an east escape is minimal. They just check for lawful entry to there own country (in my experience).

Spazza

Yep, after having a look at a few other sites of individual Schengen countries, agree with Erica and Spazza, 90 days within the 180 in region and no entry again until 180 is up and that is also for countries that have a waiver on the visa being required.
You do otherwise and there'll be no recourse on whatever penalty they may apply to you.

Aiy! My head is spinning!

Hopefully Bri will come back and read this!

So, stopping in Switzerland in between Italy and France, I wouldn't need one? But adding on the Netherlands at the end, I would?

Also, assuming I do have to apply for a national visa - has anyone had experience with this? If I ask to be there for a year as a tourist, is it likely they will agree? Has anyone gone through the process and can say what is required?

So, it seems that if you still planned on staying the same amount of time in each country, then yes, you would be overstaying your allowed time within the Schengen Zone.

I've gotten visas to study in Spain, but no where else in Europe. Generally, they don't have an extended tourist visa (that I'm aware of) you have to show that you are going to be there for a specific reason(usually acceptance into a university, a job contract, etc), and have enough money to support yourself for that period of time.

I think they figure that three months is enough time to travel.

Just another duck and weave for you houseblend and whoever else.
I still think that we may be getting caught up unneedlessly in the conditions of the Schengen Visa for which the 90 in 180 seems applicable.
The loophole in my thinking is when you look at links that say most western countries and many others do not need visas for stays up to 90 days in any particular country, ie. have a look at www.learn4good.com/travel/netherlands_visa.htm or just google Netherlands tourism visa.
Iknow the link by Erica takes you to the State Department reference on Greece, but again the Schengen Visa is mentioned at length.
I reckon if you look at each countries individual requirements outside of the Schengen Visa then a different situation may apply to travel than for those who need the Schengen Visa to facilitate travel.
And a check with individual countries may be in order and then possibly some advice to the state department.
I think Bri is still doing cartwheels